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LEXINGTON, S.C. (WIS) - Candidates Carlisle Kennedy and Zoe Warren challenged incumbent Katrina Shealy in the Republican primary on Tuesday.

No one candidate got more than the majority of the vote, which means that the race for S.C. Senate District 23 is headed to a runoff.

Kennedy received 36.22% of the vote, Shealy received 40.02% and Warren 23.75%, according to unofficial election results from Tuesday evening.

The top-two vote getters will face off in another election on June 25.

Shealy has represented District 23 since November 2012 and is endorsed in this election by U.S. Senator Tim Scott.

Shealy was one of the many women senators that led a filibuster that killed a bill which was a near-total ban on abortion. In a debate over the 6-week ban in May 2023, Shealy proposed an amendment that would have pushed the mark back to 12 weeks, but that amendment failed to get enough support.

She was later censured by the Lexington County Republican Party for her actions.

Her campaign website says she is “a lifelong conservative leader and business manager with a proven record of creating jobs, managing businesses, and promoting good government in South Carolina.

Kennedy has had family ties to the Lexington County area for more than 250 years, according to his campaign website. He is a conservative and criminal prosecutor, his website says.

“I’m deeply concerned about the direction we’re heading. Misguided policies, attacks on the traditional values we share, erosion of Constitutional rights and disregard for our cherished liberties – the need for change is evident,” his website says.

Warren, a documentary filmmaker, video producer and journalist, says on his campaign website he is a “born-again Christian” who has served on multiple mission trips. He says if elected, he will “push to get South Carolina out of [Election Registration Information Center] and require hand-marked paper ballots.”

He is also a vocal supporter of the Second Amendment, according to his campaign website.

There is no Democratic challenger for this race.

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